Dr. Delitto Receives Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator Award

Dr. Dan Delitto has received the Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator Award. Dr. Delitto will receive $600,000 over the course of three years to pursue novel immunotherapeutic approaches to fibrotic tumors, particularly pancreatic cancer.

“I’m thrilled that Dr. Delitto has been awarded the highly prestigious Damon Runyon Award," said his mentor Dr. Michael Longaker. "This is strong validation of his remarkable talents and our ability in the Department of Surgery to protect his time and provide a strongly-supportive lab environment. I look forward to working with Dan in the years ahead and watching his steep trajectory as a surgeon-scientist.”

According to their website, "The Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator Award supports independent young physician-scientists conducting disease-oriented research that demonstrates a high level of innovation and creativity. The goal is to support the best young physician-scientists doing work aimed at improving the practice of cancer medicine."

"My goals are to change the pattern of inflammation produced by fibroblasts to create an environment permissible to antitumor immune responses," said Dr. Delitto.

Dr. Delitto is also working in collaboration with investigators at Johns Hopkins on an implantable hydrogel vaccine applied to threatened surgical margins, with encouraging preclinical data suggesting margin sterilization is attainable.